Method and apparatus for photograph finding
View Patent ↗Digital image data including discrete photographic images of a variety of different subjects, times, and so forth, are collected and analyzed to identify specific features in the photographs. In an embodiment of the invention, distinctive markers are distributed to aid in the identification of particular subject matter. Facial recognition may also be employed. The digital image data is maintained in a database and quarried in response to search requests. The search requests include criteria specifying any feature category or other identifying information, such as date, time, and location that each photograph was taken, associated with each photograph. Candidate images are provided for review by requesters, who may select desired images for purchase or downloading.
1. A method, comprising:
a computer system receiving, via a wide area network, a search request that includes an uploaded digital image;
the computer system determining one or more characteristics of the digital image, including source information for the digital image, wherein the source information indicates one or more of: a device used to capture the image or a geographic location at which the image was captured;
the computer system searching, using the determined one or more characteristics, information specifying characteristics of respective ones of a plurality of stored digital images;
the computer system selecting one or more of the plurality of stored digital images, based on a comparison of the determined one or more characteristics and one or more characteristics specified by the information, wherein the compared one or more characteristics include source information of respective ones of the stored digital images that indicates one or more of: devices used to capture the respective ones of the stored digital images or geographic locations at which the respective ones of the stored digital images were captured; and
the computer system returning, via the wide area network, the selected one or more digital images.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stored digital images were submitted via the wide area network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source information of the respective ones of the stored digital images further indicates a user account of a contributor of the respective ones of the stored digital images.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source information of the respective ones of the stored digital images further indicates a photographer that captured the respective ones of the stored digital images.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source information of the uploaded digital image indicates both a device used to capture the image and the geographic location at which the image was captured.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location at which the uploaded digital image was captured was determined by a positioning device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the returning includes causing reduced-size versions of the selected one or more digital images to be displayed via a web site.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system receiving one or more search parameters based on user input;
wherein the selecting is further based on a comparison of the one or more search parameters with parameters corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of stored digital images.
9. A system, comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to perform operations comprising:
receiving, via a wide area network, a search request that includes an uploaded digital image;
determining one or more characteristics of the digital image, including source information for the digital image, wherein the source information indicates one or more of: a device used to capture the image or a geographic location at which the image was captured;
searching, using the determined one or more characteristics, information specifying characteristics of respective ones of a plurality of stored digital images;
selecting one or more of the plurality of stored digital images, based on a comparison of the determined one or more characteristics and one or more characteristics specified by the information, wherein the compared one or more characteristics include source information of respective ones of the stored digital images that indicates one or more of: devices used to capture the respective ones of the stored digital images or geographic locations at which the respective ones of the stored digital images were captured; and
returning, via the wide area network, the selected one or more digital images.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of stored digital images were submitted via the wide area network.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the source information of the respective ones of the stored digital images further indicates a user account of a contributor of the respective ones of the stored digital images.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the source information of the uploaded digital image indicates both a device used to capture the image and a geographic location at which the image was captured.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, via a wide area network, a search request that includes an uploaded digital image;
determining one or more characteristics of the digital image, including source information for the digital image, wherein the source information indicates one or more of: a device used to capture the image or a geographic location at which the image was captured;
searching, using the determined one or more characteristics, information specifying characteristics of respective ones of a plurality of stored digital images;
selecting one or more of the plurality of stored digital images, based on a comparison of the determined one or more characteristics and one or more characteristics specified by the information, wherein the compared one or more characteristics include source information of respective ones of the stored digital images that indicates one or more of devices used to capture the respective ones of the stored digital images or geographic locations at which the respective ones of the stored digital images were captured; and
returning, via the wide area network, the selected one or more digital images.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of stored digital images were submitted via the wide area network.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the source information of the respective ones of the stored digital images further indicates a user account of a contributor of the respective ones of the stored digital images.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the source information of the uploaded digital image further indicates a photographer that captured an image.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the source information of the uploaded digital image indicates a device used to capture the image.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the geographic location at which the uploaded digital image was captured was determined by a positioning device.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the returning includes causing reduced-size versions of the selected one or more digital images to be displayed via a web site.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving one or more search parameters based on user input;
wherein the selecting is further based on a comparison of the one or more search parameters with parameters corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of stored digital images.